The 2012 U.S. presidential election, fittingly dubbed the first meme election by some people, came to end this week when Americans re-elected Barack Obama.
While his victory messages went viral across Facebook and Twitter, other candid moments and political parodies caught people's attention on the web (watch the video).
Never ones to stray away from attention, cats also clawed their way into the spotlight, as did Angry Birds.
BONUS: Speaking of Cats …
The most acclaimed web cat is Nyan Cat, an 8-bit animated feline, who won Meme of the Year at the Webby Awards in May.
The Pop Tart-shaped viral sensation stormed onto the Internet in April 2011 when illustrator Chris Torres introduced Nyan Cat to the masses via YouTube.
Since then, Nyan Cat's fame has spawned a frequently updated website, video games, a soundtrack and many cute accessories.
"Nyan Cat has transformed into this viral entity that has surpassed not only everything I originally expected for my art but for memes in general," Torres recently told Mashable. "It's gained its own amazing subculture with incredibly creative fans."
Orange tabby cat Fatso (a.k.a. Keyboard Cat) most recently appeared in a parody of U.S. President Barack Obama's Google+ Hangout in February 2012.
Keyboard Cat's origins, however, date back to 1984, and its popularity rose in 2007 after a clip was uploaded to YouTube. That video now has 25 million views. Keyboard Cat tends to make appearances in spoofs and even in commercials.
Meet the Kitlers, cats that look like dictator Adolf Hitler — mustache included.
News channel CNN even gave the Kitlers a segment in 2010, after comedian Stephen Colbert gave the meme a nod.
And, naturally, a website dedicated to Kitlers exists.
Don't mess with the feline's thick glasses and purple hoodie. Advice animal image macro Hipster Kitty knows everything about hipster culture before you do.
Tumblr and Reddit are credited with circulating this bad boy. Many hip cats have followed in Hipster Kitty's footsteps, showing their support over at HipsterKitty.com
Not many animals can say they've had a humongous mural made in their honor. Invisible Bike Cat can, though.
In 2008, people painted the LOLcat on a three-story building in San Francisco.
Well, that's one way to take your Internet fame offline, eh?
If you like the LOLcat website, I Can Has Cheezburger, you can thank its originator, Happy Cat.
Without Happy Cat, the humor website — which turned 5 this year — might not exist.
Maybe I Can Has Cheezburger will give Happy Cat a cameo in its forthcoming reality TV show.
Warning: Please do try this at home.
Breading Cats, the series of photos featuring cats with bread has headgear, resurfaced this year after Gawker published an article about the "hot new Internet meme" in January. The meme began last fall.
We'd call this wisecrack a "smarty pants," but we're not sure Chemistry Cat is wearing any.
This feline's jokes are a thing of science...literally.
This critter's name says it all. Longcat is known for its body length.
"Longcat is LOOOOOOONG," says the Longcat entry in Urban Dictionary.
The torso is likely good for "meows" and such.
What if your boss was a cat? The world may never know, but for now, you can live vicariously through Business Cat.
This tie-clad advice animal image macro series rattles orders similar to human office bosses.
Not as cool as Hipster Kitty, this advice animal image macro is full of one emotion: anxiousness.
Anxiety Cat freaks out over every little thing, akin to real cats.
Not gonna make any jokes here, you know, 'cause Serious Cat won't care. We'll let Urban Dictionary describe this uptight feline:
"A very f***ing serious white cat popularized by imdb.com user Timmys_DownTheBloodyWell. He is Emperor and Supreme overlord of a board called 'The Sandbox' as well as President of the Anti-squirrel coalition. In his spare time he enjoys spreading awareness of the seriousness of a thread, killing infidels (mostly squirrels), and he also taking long llama rides on the beach."
"Ceiling cat is watching you masturbate." With those words plopped onto this photo, the pic rose to fame in 2006, according to Know Your Meme.
Russian communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin first got the cat meme treatment in 2007, when I Can Has Cheezburger posted a photo of the stern-looking cat with the attached text:
"MAKE READY MY SHIP GENERAL. IT IS TIME TO SHOW THOSE DOGS WHAT WE ARE MADE OF."
The text-over-photo meme gives another meaning to "Leninism," don't you think?
So this is how OMG Cat reacted when he found out he was chosen for Mashable's "15 Best Cat Memes Ever" list.
Watch the feline's full react huuuuuur.
The most acclaimed web cat is Nyan Cat, an 8-bit animated feline, who won Meme of the Year at the Webby Awards in May.
The Pop Tart-shaped viral sensation stormed onto the Internet in April 2011 when illustrator Chris Torres introduced Nyan Cat to the masses via YouTube.
Since then, Nyan Cat's fame has spawned a frequently updated website, video games, a soundtrack and many cute accessories.
"Nyan Cat has transformed into this viral entity that has surpassed not only everything I originally expected for my art but for memes in general," Torres recently told Mashable. "It's gained its own amazing subculture with incredibly creative fans."
Orange tabby cat Fatso (a.k.a. Keyboard Cat) most recently appeared in a parody of U.S. President Barack Obama's Google+ Hangout in February 2012.
Keyboard Cat's origins, however, date back to 1984, and its popularity rose in 2007 after a clip was uploaded to YouTube. That video now has 25 million views. Keyboard Cat tends to make appearances in spoofs and even in commercials.
Meet the Kitlers, cats that look like dictator Adolf Hitler — mustache included.
News channel CNN even gave the Kitlers a segment in 2010, after comedian Stephen Colbert gave the meme a nod.
And, naturally, a website dedicated to Kitlers exists.
Don't mess with the feline's thick glasses and purple hoodie. Advice animal image macro Hipster Kitty knows everything about hipster culture before you do.
Tumblr and Reddit are credited with circulating this bad boy. Many hip cats have followed in Hipster Kitty's footsteps, showing their support over at HipsterKitty.com
Not many animals can say they've had a humongous mural made in their honor. Invisible Bike Cat can, though.
In 2008, people painted the LOLcat on a three-story building in San Francisco.
Well, that's one way to take your Internet fame offline, eh?
If you like the LOLcat website, I Can Has Cheezburger, you can thank its originator, Happy Cat.
Without Happy Cat, the humor website — which turned 5 this year — might not exist.
Maybe I Can Has Cheezburger will give Happy Cat a cameo in its forthcoming reality TV show.
Warning: Please do try this at home.
Breading Cats, the series of photos featuring cats with bread has headgear, resurfaced this year after Gawker published an article about the "hot new Internet meme" in January. The meme began last fall.
We'd call this wisecrack a "smarty pants," but we're not sure Chemistry Cat is wearing any.
This feline's jokes are a thing of science...literally.
This critter's name says it all. Longcat is known for its body length.
"Longcat is LOOOOOOONG," says the Longcat entry in Urban Dictionary.
The torso is likely good for "meows" and such.
What if your boss was a cat? The world may never know, but for now, you can live vicariously through Business Cat.
This tie-clad advice animal image macro series rattles orders similar to human office bosses.
Not as cool as Hipster Kitty, this advice animal image macro is full of one emotion: anxiousness.
Anxiety Cat freaks out over every little thing, akin to real cats.
Not gonna make any jokes here, you know, 'cause Serious Cat won't care. We'll let Urban Dictionary describe this uptight feline:
"A very f***ing serious white cat popularized by imdb.com user Timmys_DownTheBloodyWell. He is Emperor and Supreme overlord of a board called 'The Sandbox' as well as President of the Anti-squirrel coalition. In his spare time he enjoys spreading awareness of the seriousness of a thread, killing infidels (mostly squirrels), and he also taking long llama rides on the beach."
"Ceiling cat is watching you masturbate." With those words plopped onto this photo, the pic rose to fame in 2006, according to Know Your Meme.
Russian communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin first got the cat meme treatment in 2007, when I Can Has Cheezburger posted a photo of the stern-looking cat with the attached text:
"MAKE READY MY SHIP GENERAL. IT IS TIME TO SHOW THOSE DOGS WHAT WE ARE MADE OF."
The text-over-photo meme gives another meaning to "Leninism," don't you think?
So this is how OMG Cat reacted when he found out he was chosen for Mashable's "15 Best Cat Memes Ever" list.
Watch the feline's full react huuuuuur.
More Coverage of Election 2012
- Barack Obama Tweets Victory in 2012 Presidential Election
- Yes, We GIFed: Obama's Animated Election Victory Celebration
- Donald Trump Freaks Out on Twitter After Obama Wins Election
- A Look Inside the Obama and Romney Headquarters on Election Night [PICS]
- 15 Funny 'Moving to Canada' Tweets for Election Night
- Obama's Victory Tweet Is His Most Retweeted Ever
- Karl Rove Refuses to Accept Obama's Election Win [VIDEO]
- Watch Mitt Romney Deliver His Concession Speech [VIDEO]
Mashable explores the trends changing politics in 2012 and beyond in Politics Transformed: The High Tech Battle for Your Vote, an in-depth look at how digital media is reshaping democracy.
Read a few of the top posts from the series:
- Election 2040: The First President for Digital Natives
- Voter Data: What the Candidates Know About You
- How to Market the Next President
- Gaffesplosion: The Unrelenting Hype of Modern Politics
- How Social Media Can Safeguard Your Vote
Take it with you, buy Politics Transformed: The High Tech Battle for Your Vote on e-book and get access to four exclusive interviews!
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